Bumblebee Dart Frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) For Sale

If you want one dart frog that is loud, hardy and almost impossible to lose track of, this is it. Dendrobates leucomelas is banded in high-contrast yellow and black, calls audibly, and is widely considered the toughest of the commonly kept dart frogs.

What you are getting

Captive bred. Every dart frog we sell is captive produced, and for this family that is not a marketing line — it is the whole safety story. Wild dart frogs get their alkaloids from a very specific diet of mites, ants and other small arthropods. Captive frogs eat fruit flies and springtails, never acquire those compounds, and are harmless. We set the science out in why poison dart frogs are not poisonous in captivity.

Native to Venezuela, Guyana and neighbouring parts of northern South America, leucomelas tolerates a wider swing in conditions than most of the family — in the wild it endures a genuine dry season by sheltering under cover. That resilience is why it is the frog most often recommended to someone setting up a first vivarium.

Temperament and housing

Bold, vocal and social. This is one of the few dart frogs genuinely well suited to being kept as a group, and a trio in a planted vivarium will spend the day in the open calling and foraging.

These are display animals for a planted, bioactive vivarium: constant humidity, deep leaf litter, a working cleanup crew and no standing heat source. Full husbandry is in dart frog care, and the hardscape and substrate side is in terrarium supplies. Isopods and springtails are the cleanup crew and double as supplemental food.

Provenance and paperwork

The family Dendrobatidae is listed on CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade. It does not restrict ordinary keeping or domestic sale in the US, but it is part of why we state provenance on every listing rather than rounding it up to the friendliest word available — see about Terrarium Station.

How it ships

Offered as 1 Count, 2 Count or 3 Count. Juvenile dart frogs cannot be sexed externally, so we sell them as counts rather than as sexed pairs — anyone promising you a guaranteed male and female at this size is guessing. Everything ships under our live arrival guarantee.

Common questions

Are bumblebee dart frogs poisonous?

Not in captivity. The alkaloids come from a specialised wild diet of mites and ants. Captive-bred frogs raised on fruit flies never acquire them.

Is Dendrobates leucomelas good for beginners?

It is generally considered the hardiest of the commonly kept dart frogs, tolerant of a wider range of conditions than most, which makes it the usual first recommendation.

Do bumblebee dart frogs make noise?

Yes. Males produce a clear, carrying trill, which is one of the more enjoyable things about the species and worth knowing before you put one in a bedroom.

Can bumblebee dart frogs be kept in groups?

Yes. They are among the more sociable dart frogs and do well as a small group in a generously sized planted vivarium.

How long do bumblebee dart frogs live?

Well over a decade with good husbandry. Dart frogs are long-term animals, not short commitments.

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